4 X. H. Agri. Experiment Station [Bulletin 284 



handling individual samples, and with our knowledge gained from the ser- 

 ies of experimental plots, it would seem that very shortly the Experiment 

 Station may at last acquire a real mastery of the difficult and varied soil 

 problems of the state. 



During the year the Experiment Station was asked by the Civil Works 

 Administration to organize and conduct several special studies : of tax de- 

 linquencies, tax deeds, and tax transfers ; rural housing ; part-time farming ; 

 and rural electrification. 



It was necessary in the beginning of the year to start projects that would 

 not only employ groups of office workers, and other so-called white-collar 

 workers but that would also be useful and justify the money being spent. 

 In spite of the short space of time between the request and the actual em- 

 ployment of the workers, the projects were started soon after the requests, 

 and important data and statistics have been compiled. 



The past year has seen few changes in our stafif. Following the resigna- 

 tion of J. M. Fuller, dairy husbandman, K. S. Morrow was appointed to 

 this position on July 1, 1934. C. W. Harris resigned July 1 as Research 

 Assistant in Agricultural Economics. His place was filled by Stanley Colby, 

 who in turn resigned on December 15, to be followed by Arno Hangas. L. 

 R. Bryant completed his graduate assistantship in Horticulture last June, 

 and his place has now been taken by Miss Mary Tingley. 



Improved facihties in the technique of measuring basal metabolism have 

 been added to our Nutrition Laboratory through the cooperation of the Nu- 

 trition Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Among other 

 important equipment added during the year has been a Mojonnier milk 

 tester which will make possible speedy and accurate testing of dairy products 

 for both fat and total solids, a new colorimeter for our chemical labora- 

 tory, and a steam drier for handling hay samples in the agronomy laboratory. 



The outbreak in March, 1934, of infectious laryngotracheitis on several 

 poultry farms in the state made drastic action necessary at once in our poul- 

 try disease research. Efficient handling of the vaccine essential for prevent- 

 ing further spread of this disease necessitated a separate building on the 

 University Poultry Farm, this building to be used for experimental work in 

 the disease as well as to produce the vaccine at small cost to the poultrymen. 



A new insectary, long needed by our Entomology Department, was 

 erected last spring near the University Greenhouses. 



As in other recent years, the Department of Entomology has had the 

 benefit of an augmented technical staff through assistance provided by the 

 treasury of the Crop Protection Institute. A part of the time of W. A. West- 

 gate has thus been made possible in the important work relating to the 

 physical-chemical constitution of spray materials and their performance. 

 W. C. Baker has been enabled to continue ovicidal studies. The department's 

 research program has been materially advanced by this arrangement. 



The following is a brief review of significant findings in our various 

 projects during the past year : 



Effect of Potassium Deficiency 



« 



Plants suffering from extreme potassium deficiency are so stunted and 

 abnormal that a comparison of them with normal may be misleading. This 

 study was an attempt to find what differences in composition might occur 



